


A Little Help

by niallhoranbitches



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Fic, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Kid Fic, Louis in a broom shop, M/M, Niall works in a Magical Menagerie, Single Dad Louis, i hope there's enough magic in here, little Freddie is a rascal and yet the smartest of them all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 01:17:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18272849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niallhoranbitches/pseuds/niallhoranbitches
Summary: “Mind telling me what are you doing?” Niall asks, a bit taken aback by the fact he has just been ignored.“Opening the cage, so they can be free,” the boys says, looking at Niall as he is an idiot.“But you do know that those birds are ours? I work in this shop,” Niall points out.“You do?” the kid asks, finally leaving the lock alone and turning to face Niall. When Niall nods in agreement, the boy rests his hands on his hips and cocks his head to the side. “Then shouldn't you know that the birds should be free, not held in cages?”ORFive times Freddie visits the Magical Menagerie, wreaking havoc and slowly stealing Niall's heart. And the one time he doesn't.





	A Little Help

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alittlewicked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlewicked/gifts).



> Daaaamn it was a wild ride! Since good time menagement is just an urban legend to me, the majority of this fic has been written during the past month. I have no idea whether it shows or not but I can tell you that it was... Intense. Surprisingly, I've managed to more or less include all the things that I wanted. Which would never be possible without **my mum Julien** whom I love very much and she can always give a helping hand or a helping kick in the ass or a helping flirty comment for which I'll forever be grateful. My biggest joy in writing is reading your comments, no joke here.
> 
> Of course I also have to thank the wonderful **alittlewicked** for the amazing prompts! At first it was impossible for me to chose between two, because I do love a nice kid!fic but I also love heavily crushing/awfully oblivious characters! And as a result I think I've written some kind of a hybrid of the two and I'm very sorry for that, hope you don't mind and you won't be dissapointed, darling <3 Also I hope it is magical enough because it is my second HP verse fic and the first one set outside Hogwarts so that was a challenge, too.
> 
> And last but not least I'd like to thank our amazing admin from **@potterdirectionficexchange** who is the kindest and sweetest, most patient and understanding and overall the bestest person ever. Thank you so so much for running this exchange so wonderfully :')
> 
> Without further ado... enjoy, I guess.

**-1-**

It is way past 5 o'clock which means that the Magical Menagerie finally calms down after this—quite unusually—busy day. The usual flood of people running up and down the Diagon Alley has thinned and all of the magical creatures are taken care of and fed. Sitting down behind the counter, Niall takes a deep breath. He knew that working here wouldn’t exactly be a piece of cake, but he likes it.

Taking care of all the residents—Niall doesn't like to think about them as of products they are selling, despite the cruelness of the world that might turn some of the rats, toads or lacewing flies into potion ingredients—is most certainly tiring, but he has grown fond and attached to all the little and not so little lives staying here. And the Magical Menagerie is a shelter for many, many kinds of fantastic beasts living in cages, boxes and coops but also in a whole lot of magical rooms enchanted to resemble the creatures’ natural environments situated in the basement of the shop. So despite the charming residents and the help of magic, taking care of this place is quite a challenge for Niall. But it is rewarding, in a way.

He looks around the small shop. Tucked between the Roselee Tea and Potage's Cauldron Shop, the shop at first seemed rather hostile to Niall. Its stuffiness, noise and dim lights had not exactly been the features Niall is fond of. It wasn't long before he become used to it and now Niall thinks of himself as a part of this crazy, weird place.

Shaking his head at himself for getting unusually sentimental, Niall decides it's time to stop this useless reflections and finally eat his lunch, taking advantage of the fact that the rush hours are almost over. When the Magical Menagerie takes a breather from its visitors, so does he.

Alas, his peace does not last for long. Before he even has the chance to smell his food, he hears some suspicious noises outside. Looking out of the window, he doesn't see anything... except the fact that the cage with Hoo-hoo birds is shaking slightly, which should not be happening. With a sigh, Niall sends his lunch a lingering look before he gets up and goes outside to check what is happening.

Surprisingly, the birds are not planning to bail and fly away taking the cage with them. Or maybe they are but it wouldn't be their own idea. Because there is someone trying to unlock the cage and very close to succeeding from what Niall can tell, considering that one of two locks is already opened. Surprisingly, this someone seems to be a little kid, a boy that Niall wouldn't give more than 6 years.

“Hello,” Niall greets him, leaning against the doorframe.

The kid sends him a quick look, a mischievous smile on his face. “Hi,” he answers before he turns back to the cage and proceeds to mess with the lock.

“Mind telling me what are you doing?” Niall asks, a bit taken aback by the fact he has just been ignored.

“Opening the cage, so they can be free,” the boys says, looking at Niall as he is an idiot.

“But you do know that those birds are ours? I work in this shop,” Niall points out.

“You do?” the kid asks, finally leaving the lock alone and turning to face Niall. When Niall nods in agreement, the boy rests his hands on his hips and cocks his head to the side. “Then shouldn't you know that the birds should be free, not held in cages?”

Niall blinks. From all the things that could happen, he did not expect that the tables would turn and that he'll be the one being scolded. By a  _ kid _ . He should be the one sending disapproving looks and giving lectures. Pushing himself away from the doorframe he was leaning against, Niall straightens up and crosses his arm on his chest. If that didn’t give him authority, he doesn’t know what will. Normally he would probably laugh at such behaviour, but not now. Now he is feeling challenged by a kid. There is nothing to be laughing about.

“First of all, y—young man,” Niall starts, furrowing his brows at his own choice of words, “if you open the cage and the birds do fly away, they probably won’t be able to survive in the city. So granting them freedom might not actually help them, you know?”

The kid, who already came back to fiddling with the lock, does not look up at Niall, but from his spot Niall notices that his hands freeze for a moment as his brows furrow. He seems to consider whether to believe Niall or not. Before he makes a decision—and Niall has a feeling it won’t be a decision in his favour—Niall quickly adds,

“Besides, they are not tortured here, despite what you might believe,” this time the kid looks up and raises his eyebrow at Niall.

Trying not to feel intimidated by a little kid, Niall takes a deep breath and continues. “They don’t live in this cage. They stay here for only a couple hours and then I or someone else from the store takes them to the basement. And they lead a pretty dope life there.”

“In a basement?” the boy sniggers. “That doesn’t sound dope.”

“But it is. I can’t tell you how, because it is a secret and considering that you wanted to basically rob me, I don’t think you can keep it.”

The moment the little boy takes a step towards Niall—which is a step away from the cage—and looks up at him with a spark in his eyes, Niall knows he has won. He has to bite down a smile when the kid almost starts to jump with excitement, his big eyes staring at Niall.

“I can keep a secret! My dad always says that only shitheads tell somebody else’s secrets!” the boy says sincerely. “And I wasn’t trying to rob, I just wanted to help the birds, you can’t punish me for that!”

Niall raises his eyebrow at that, finally cracking a smile.

“I could, actually,” Niall points out. “Even if you had good intentions, it would be a bad thing to do.”

The little boy rolls his eyes at that but he doesn’t say anything. Niall doesn’t, either, he just looks at the kid expectantly.

“Fine, I’m sorry,” the boy finally says with a heavy sigh. “I won’t try to free them again. But you have to tell me about this secret basement so I know if they really are good in there.”

Ignoring the crossed arms and a challenging look the boy was sending him, Niall decides that this apology is better than none. Besides, the basement is not really a secret. More like a fact that hardly anyone knows about, because people usually don’t care where they keep all the creatures.

“What’s your name?” Niall asks.

“Freddie.”

“I’m Niall. You promise you won’t try to free them again, Freddie?” Niall makes sure, extending an hand towards Freddie. When he sees a little mischievous spark in the boy’s eye, he adds, “Or any other creatures we have in there?”

Freddie purses his lips, clearly unhappy about his plans having been discovered. However, he does shake Niall’s hand firmly, “I promise.”

“Okay then,” Niall says. “The secret is, the basement under the shop is actually enchanted. It doesn’t look like a regular, tiny basement, but it’s actually a huge space with many, many rooms. Each room is made to fit some kind of a magical creature so they can feel there comfortable and at home. So there are lakes and forests hidden in there. Or, for example, some open spaces for those birds to fly.”

Glancing at the Hoo-hoo birds jumping around the cage, Freddie’s eyes quickly skip back to Niall. He tries to look sceptical, however Niall can see a hint of amazement on his face as well.

“Is that really possible?” the boy asks, cocking his head to the side.

“It is. I don’t know exactly how, but the first owner of this shop casted some pretty powerful spells down there to make sure the whole Magical Menagerie would lead a dope life here,” Niall smiles.

With surprise, he notices that a big, genuine smile blooms on Freddie’s face in response.

“Can I see it someday? I promise I won’t tell anyone! Or maybe my dad. Can I tell my dad this secret?” Freddie asks, swaying on his toes.

“We’ll see about that,” Niall laughs. Then adds, “Speaking of, where are your parents?”

Before the boy has the chance to answer, Niall finds the answer himself. Because somewhere behind him he can hear a male voice with a strong accent, yelling Freddie’s name. Niall turns around to locate the owner of this voice. It’s rather easy, considering that said owner is dashing down the street and he passes Niall stopping in front of Freddie.

“You’re gonna be the death of me!” the dad pants and crouches so his eyes are on the same level as Freddie’s. “For Merlin’s sake, how many times do I have to tell you not to wander off like that?! I’m gonna start locking you at the house!”

“I’m sorry, dad,” Freddie says, conscience-stricken. Although it doesn’t last for long, because soon enough his face lights up and he excitedly adds, pointing at Niall with his finger. “But this man was just telling me this cool secret and he promised to show me the basement!”

And when Freddie puts it that way, it does sound horrible. So Niall is not at all surprised that it takes a split second for the boy’s dad to spring to his feet and face Niall with a raged expression. Niall can’t really blame him.

Despite the tiny hint of fear of being beaten up any second that Niall is feeling right now, he notices that the man in front of him seems surprisingly young. He may actually be around Niall’s age. What Niall also notices is the fact that the man in front of him seems surprisingly handsome. And shorter than him. 

Which could be cute if not the fact that the man’s entire being is ready to kick Niall’s ass.

“What the fuck? What were you doing to my kid, you fucker?” Freddie’s dad says slowly.

Precautiously, Niall takes a step back and holds his hands up in surrender.

“It’s not like that, calm down, man. I work in here,” Niall pointed at the store with his head, his eyes not leaving the man in front of him. “And your son was trying to open one of those cages and let loose some of my birds.”

The man furrows his brows, processing Niall’s words. He is still looking mad, he is still glaring at Niall suspicious but at least the tensed muscles in his jaw relax a bit.

“So? The birds should fly and be fucking free, shouldn’t they?” Freddie’s dad asks, raising his eyebrow challengingly at Niall.

Niall sighs internally. It feels like a deja vu. Even if the man didn’t have the exact same bright, mischievous eyes as the little boy behind him, Niall wouldn’t have any doubts they’re related.

“Exactly your son’s point,” Niall says, defeated.

“‘Cause he’s a smart kid, after his dad.” the man answers. “But that doesn’t explain why the fuck you’ve mentioned a basement to him.”

“It does, da!” Freddie interjects, tugging at his dad’s sleeve. “Niall told me this cool secret about the basement in the shop!”

Squinting his eyes at Niall, the man slowly turns his head and glances down. The moment he looks at the boy, his entire facade softens.

“What kind of a secret, lad?” the man asks, the threatening undertone in his voice nowhere in sight.

“This place is—” Freddie starts, but then he bites his lip and looks up at Niall, with unsure expression.

Partly because Niall is endeared by the boy’s need to stay loyal and partly because it is not really a secret, Niall smiles and nods at the boy to continue. Another reason why he does it so quickly is the fear of the boy’s dad thinking Niall has blackmailed the kid in any way.

“So there’s this magical basement under the shop, you know? And it’s huge and enchanted and the animals all live in there, so they don’t have to be in those cages all the time! And there are all those rooms with forests and lakes and other places so the animals feel good in there. It’s a very cool magic and I’d like to see that! Can I?”

The man, whose lips curled into a fond smile when he was listening to the boys story, tried to bring back the stern look on his face.

“We’ll see, lad. You have to listen to me and stop going whenever you like, right? Because I’m bloody worried when you’re not there, okay? And because something bad can happen to you. Like a stranger trying to kidnap you and lock you in their basement,” the last part he says glaring above his son’s head at Niall.

Niall sees it immediately, because he may or may not have watched the scene with a little smile on his face. The smile does not entirely disappear when he rolls his eyes at the comment.

“I wasn’t going to, I told you that already!” Niall says.

Freddie’s dad ignores Niall completely, looking back at his son and ruffling his hair when the boy cuddles him and mumbles an apology into his stomach.

And of course Niall is annoyed at being ignored. He definitely is not staring at the young dad and his handsome face with stubbly cheeks and nice cheekbones and a little smile aimed at his son. And Niall is not thinking about the pretty eyes that were glaring at him a few moments ago. Or about the fact that the big sweatshirt the man is wearing makes him look even smaller and yet Niall was ready to run and hide inside when this fury of a man snapped at him.

Niall’s just annoyed, nothing else.

“Okay, I really need to go back to work, lad. Will you be good and stay there with me or should I get you home?” the man asks Freddie.

“I’ll be good, promise.”

Freddie turns around and looks at Niall, smiling at him. Niall is quite surprised when he says, “Sorry for messing with the cage. And thank you for telling me the secret, it was really cool!”

“No problem, buddy. Feel free to come by whenever you want. But ask your dad before you do that,” Niall responds with a smile, daring to glance up at the other man, but his face remains deadpan.

“Bye, Niall!” Freddie waves, not aware of the ongoing staring fight between the older men.

“Bye, Freddie. And bye…” Niall raises an eyebrow at the boy’s dad. 

However, the only thing he gets in response is a snigger.

“It’s ‘Mister Tomlinson’ for you, Neil. Now come on, Freddie, we have to go.”

And with that they both turn around and go down the street, leaving a confused Niall alone in front of his shop. He follows them with his eyes until they get lost behind the corner.

 

 

**-2-**

With his arm propped on the counter and his chin resting on his hand, Niall sits in the store and looks outside the window. There are some muffled noises coming from the back of Magical Menagerie. However, it’s nothing too unusual, so he doesn’t bother checking what is happening in there. No time of the day makes the Magical Menagerie completely silent. And Niall has spent enough days in here to get to know all the noises the animals were making and pay attention only to those that might mean that something bad was happening. Besides, today his mind is a bit occupied. Of course not by the little Freddie and his handsome dad that Niall has met a few days ago. That would be weird. Maybe they did cross Niall’s mind once or twice, but nothing more.

Niall just wondered whether or not they live in the neighbourhood. Freddie’s dad mentioned something about having to go back to work so maybe his workplace is somewhere on the Diagonal Alley as well? It is not that Niall wants to meet him again. Despite his pretty face and nice accent, the dad was nothing but mean to him. Niall has to admit that the reason for such behaviour was the fact that he thought his son was in danger, but that did not change the fact that he shouldn’t have to be this rude. After all, Freddie did explain that Niall was cool. So really, Niall would rather not see this fury of a man ever again. Unless he had to. For example to escort Freddie home if the kid happened to come by to the store ever again. Then Niall wouldn’t have a choice.

His contemplations—completely free from short-tempered-Peter-Pan-looking men—are suddenly interrupted. There is a loud crash coming from somewhere in the back making Niall jump, startled. With a small sigh, he gets up and goes to check what havoc the animals caused. It doesn’t take long before he finds a cat that managed to escape from the basement. Which is weird because there are some spells, supposedly able to keep the creatures from running away. And yet this one albino cat, with one eye as blue as summer sky and the other a faded yellow, always manages to wander off to the main area whenever he pleased. Up here, he tries to explore the store, jumping on the shelves and racks. And what is surprising for a cat, he's completely clumsy while doing so. There always are broken bowls, collapsed piles of old cages, knocked over plants and many other things, with the little special snowflake meowing helplessly in the middle of whatever mess he makes. Usually Niall's too endeared by the cat's utmost confusion to even be mad at the fact that he is the one having to clean everything up.

Saving a plant that has been attacked by the cat, Niall hears the little bells at the front door chime quietly. He doesn't even bother trying to rush the cat back to the basement—he's harmless to everyone except himself and rather friendly, so Niall doesn't mind him wandering around the store. The company is nice sometimes, although Niall would prefer a less mischievous one if he was given a chance to chose.

Speaking of mischief, when Niall walks back behind the counter to greet the customer, at first he doesn't see anyone. Only after leaning over the counter and glancing down, he spots Freddie. The boy is crouching and seems to be having some kind of staring contest with the cat who is sitting a few steps away, with his head cocked curiously to the side. Niall can't stop a small smile that appears on his face.

“Hello. Can I help you?” Niall asks.

Without tearing his eyes away from the cat, Freddie says, “Your cat is weird.”

“It's not technically my cat. And I wouldn't call him weird. Just… special.”

“Does he have a name?”

Niall shrugs when the boy looks up at him with curiosity in his eyes. “Not that I know of.”

“Can I give him one?”

A laugh escapes Niall’s mouth when he sees the sparkle in Freddie’s eyes when he asks this. It feels weirdly impossible to say no to this boy.

“We’ll see about that,” Niall answers, trying to keep up appearances. “But more importantly—does your dad knows you’re here or did you wander off again?”

“He knows. He said I can come and annoy you for a change and that you deserve it.” Niall’s eyebrows go up in response to Freddie’s words. “But he also said that I should be careful, because the pretty ones are usually the worst or something.”

“I’m—” Niall starts and then stutters. “He really said that?”

Freddie nods absentmindedly, too focused on watching the cat who shuffled closer and for whatever reason is flapping his paw a few inches away from the boy’s knee. Niall thinks about it for a second and then bites the inside of his cheek. It would be stupid if he smiled just because some mean—but handsome—dad he doesn’t even know called him pretty.

Clearing his throat, Niall says, “Well, for your information I am far from being the worst and you don’t have to worry. And there will be no annoying me, despite what you’ve planned. Since you’re here, you can help me with some of the animals.”

He gets a challenging look in response, “Why would I?”

“Because,” Niall says, pointing a finger at Freddie. “You seemed concerned about their well-being when you last came here, so I assume you want to take care of them. And I might let you name this crazy creature afterwards,” Niall says, pointing at the white cat who somehow managed to climb up Freddie’s arm and was now patting the boy’s head, looking as confounded as a cat can.  “Besides,” Niall adds, leaning over the counter towards Freddie. “I can show you where all the creatures live.”

“Oooh, you’re gonna show me the magic basement?” Freddie jumps up with excitement, startling the cat, but he manages to catch the animal before it falls ungracefully to the ground.

Niall looks up and blinks, contemplating. “Okay, your dad made me really dislike the sound of it, so let’s not call it that. But yeah, I will. If you try to behave, okay?”

And surprisingly—or maybe not, Niall doesn’t know the kid enough to judge that—Freddie does try. He is very unlike that mischievous brat Niall has encountered the last time. Instead, Freddie gladly does whatever Niall asks him to. His eyes are wide when Niall lets him help feeding the birds like the Hoo-hoos he wanted to rescue, the silent Jobberknolls or the tripping Golden Snidgets. Freddie is beyond happy when one of the Hoo-hoos sits on his hand to nibble from it and he seems to be truly interested when Niall tells him about the magical abilities of some animals. They are going around the long corridors, stopping by some rooms. Freddie doesn’t try to sneak into every one of them. Instead, he dutifully stands by Niall’s side when the latter tells him that some creatures might get dangerous while disturbed or while dealing with someone they don’t know. He is confused when they reach a seemingly empty room with a meadow and he screams when a huge, bright eye appears in the darkness of one of the burrows. Niall chuckles at him and explains that the room is actually full of Mooncalfs but that they are very shy and don’t leave their lodges unless it’s full moon. Bowtruckles that they encounter next creep Freddie out a bit, mostly because he can’t spot any on the little tree and is startled every time one of them moves. But after a few minutes, he gets used to them and even lets one of the Bowtruckles climb up his sleeve. A bit later, when Niall wants to go and take care of the more dangerous and timid animals, Freddie is more than happy to stay in one of the rooms to play with little cruppies. Niall doesn’t leave until Freddie promises not to flee from there and try to visit some other places. Freddie’s face is super solemn when he promises. Although, as he leaves Niall puts a spell that would let him know if Freddie left the crups room. Just to be sure. He would never forgive himself if something happened to the kid. Not to mention the inevitable death at hands of Freddie’s dad, that Niall would totally deserve.

It takes them over an hour, walking through the corridors. Niall smiles, seeing the huge smile on Freddie’s face and the look of fascination in the boy’s eyes. To be honest, Niall didn’t expect that this tour would give him so much joy. And that it would also make Niall so happy to be around some—basically completely strange—kid for so long. 

When they go back the the main area of the store, Niall shares his chocolate bar and a bottle of juice with Freddie. Then, he lets the boy play with the Puffskeins that jump happily around the box in the corner of the store. Keeping an eye on the little guy, Niall tries to deal with some inventory work he has been putting off for way too long. The rest next hour or so passes in a relative silence, broken only now and then by Freddie’s questions about the animals or about Niall himself. Surprisingly, Niall doesn’t mind it at all and he actually manages to get done a lot of work while having Freddie around.

Niall has no idea how much time passes before the doorbell rings. When he looks up, he sees  _ Mr. Tomlinson  _ walk into the store. Although it doesn’t feel right to call him mister, Niall thinks, the guy can’t be that much older than him. Looking up from the papers he was working on, Niall straightens up and puts a smile on his face.

“Hello, how can I help you?” Niall asks innocently.

“Where’s my son?” Tomlinson doesn’t bother with attentions as he squints his eyes at Niall.

“In the basement,” Niall dares to joke, partly afraid that he would get hit by a jinx before he could duck behind the counter.

“You fu—”

But before he has a chance to finish the—probably highly offensive, Niall guesses—sentence, Freddie runs into him with high-speed. Tomlinson stumbles, crashing into an empty cage. It takes him a moment to realise that the rocket that he has just been hit by is actually his son who is pressing his face into his stomach. Niall can’t help but smile at the view in front of him.

“I know I told you’d be the death of me, but I didn’t know you’d be so active in trying to achieve it, lad,” Freddie’s dad says, although a smile is blooming on his face. He ruffles the kid’s hair, asking, “You good? Was that tit over there nice to you?”

“Hey!” Niall tries to object.

“Yeah, he’s not a tit, he’s pretty cool,” Freddie says and Niall feels that his honour has been saved.

“Oh yeah?” Tomlinson asks, looking at Niall over his son’s head. He sounds disbelieving, although Niall thinks there is a hint of smile in the corner of his lips. “How so?”

“He showed me the basement and all those cool animals that I’ve never seen before! And there was this bird Aug...something?” He turns to look at Niall.

“Augurey?” Niall helps with a little smile.

“Yeah that one! And he looked completely like our old neighbour with the weird eyebrows! He's called Irish Phoenix!”

Tomlinson raises his eyebrows, pretending to be shocked although there is the same mischievous sparkle in his eyes as Niall has already seen many times in Freddie's. “Mr. Darren? He's called Irish Phoenix? I was pretty sure he was from Harlow.”

Rolling his eyes, Freddie just grins at his dad, “Don't be silly. The bird's called that!”

“Well, if Ireland has Phoenixes that look like Mr. Darren, it must be a fucking depressing place,” Tomlinson says with a chuckle, looking up at Niall.

Niall isn’t sure whether it is a dig aimed at him personally, but nevertheless he feels obliged to defend his homeland. So he puts on his best offended face and sends Tomlinson a challenging look.

“Bugger off. Ireland is the land of the best beer in the world, we kick arses in Quidditch and are very passionate about footie and nobody knows how to party like an Irishman. It's the complete opposite of depressing,” he says. “And besides Augureys are not only in Ireland, there's plenty of them here as well.”

“And yet they've been named after your precious country,” Freddie's dad shrugs with an innocent smile. He walks closer towards the counter. Freddie has released him from an embrace a while ago and went back to playing with the albino cat who has found his way back to the main area of the store. Resting his forearms on the counter opposite Niall, Tomlinson raises one eyebrow, his smile still in place, “You're a footie fan, then?”

“If it wasn't for my fucked up knee I'd be the best left winger in the world.”

This statement is pretty far from being true, maybe except the part about the knee, but Tomlinson doesn’t have to know that. The other man only hums in response, looking thoughtful for a second.

“I guess bragging is also a part of your Irish heritage?”

“Fuck off,” Niall says, which makes Freddie’s dad laugh in response. His laugh is very pleasing, Niall thinks. Definitely much more pleasing that the constant teasing he’s had to put up with since the second they met. Besides, this doesn’t sound as mean as the other times Tomlinson has laughed at him, so Niall doesn’t mind it that much.

“Did the little one cause any troubles today?”

The question catches Niall a bit off guard. He might has been staring at Tomlinson’s happy face and his exposed neck as he threw his head back, laughing. Niall guesses he might has missed the moment when he stopped laughing and started asking questions.

Niall clears his throat and answers, “No, quite the contrary. He’s been very helpful with all the creatures down there and didn’t try to do any mischief”

“Shit, I hoped he’d mess with you for a bit!” Tomlinson sounds disappointed and Niall is not sure whether it’s his genuine reaction or he’s just making fun of Niall again. Somehow Niall prefers the latter.

“Sorry to disappoint you, then,” Niall says with a small chuckle. “He’s a pretty great kid when he’s not trying to break into our cages and let the animals run loose.”

Freddie’s dad points his finger at Niall and says,” He is a great kid and he’s caring for environment, which wasn’t a bad thing last time I’ve checked.”

Niall only rolls his eyes at that, but he can’t help a smile. 

There’s some muffled thud coming from somewhere in the store and Niall looks up over Tomlinson’s shoulder to check what it was. Before he can locate the source, Freddie’s voice comes through, saying, “Sorry! It wasn’t my fault! It was Snowflake who knocked down some box!”

“Snowflake?” Niall raises his eyebrow. After a few seconds Freddie emerges from between the shelves, holding a confused white cat in his arms.

“That’s a—” Freddie’s dad cocks his head to the side. When the cat tries to free himself from the boys arms and falls face down on the floor, he furrows his brows. “Quite an unusual cat. Is he Irish, too?”

He’s now leaning with his back against the counter, watching his son. Even though, Niall doesn’t have to see his face to imagine the pleased smile on his face. His expectations are confirmed a second later when the other man looks over his shoulder and his grin grows even bigger when he sees Niall unamused expression.

Ignoring the older Tomlinson, Niall focuses back on Freddie.

“I thought I’d decide whether you can name him or not?” he asks.

“You said that I need to help you and I did. So I figured I deserve this,” Freddie shrugs and grins at Niall, the gesture almost a mirror reflection of his dad’s. Niall doesn’t think he can deal with them both at the same time.

Niall shakes his head with a deep sigh. He’s smiling though when he adds, “I think I know from who you get that cunning.”

“And you’re totally right, my Irish friend. Your detective skills are quite impressive, I must admit, maybe there’s still some hope for your country,” Tomlinson senior says, winking at Niall. “If you were wondering, he got his cuteness from me as well.”

“Oh really? You must be hiding yours really well then.”

Freddie’s dad just shrugs, “Maybe you just can see the obvious, Neil.”

“It’s Niall.”

The only reaction he gets to that is a dismissive wave of Tomlinson’s hand as he turns back to face his son. “Come on, lad. We should head home now. You can bug Neil some other time.”

Freddie nods, joining his dad’s side as he stands in front of the counter. He looks up at Niall with a smile and says, “Thank you for showing me all those dope animals today! Can’t wait to see them again!”

“No problem, mate. You’re always welcome here when your dad lets you come,” Niall answers, holding his hand up for a high five that Freddie quickly delivers.

Trying to stop that weird—and completely unreasonable—feeling of disappointment, Niall watches as the two of them walk towards the door. It’s not until the older Tomlinson holds the door open for his son, that he turns around.

“He’s gonna talk about it for the next month or so. Thanks for doing this and keeping an eye on him,” a small smile appears on his face and then he adds, like an afterthought, “I’m Louis, by the way.”

And then they’re gone and Niall is left alone with a big smile on his face; Snowflake tries to jump onto the counter and succeeds at his first try.

 

 

**-3-**

“I’m sorry to say it, but you have a problem. It is your day off and yet here you are. You’re like an addict.”

This is what Niall gets instead of a greeting as he enters the Magical Menagerie at noon on Tuesday.

“I just can’t get enough of your ugly mug,” Niall answers with a grin aimed at Zayn.

His co-worker—and one of Niall’s closest friend—is sitting behind the counter, his upper body sprawled lazily on top of it. There is an open book laying next to him and Zayn sticks a random piece of paper between the pages as Niall walked closer to the counter.

“Fair,” Zayn answers with a smile, sitting more upright. “Why are you here?”

“I think I left my wallet in here. Or at least I hope it’s here, I don’t like the idea that I’ve lost it somewhere else.”

Zayn nods and stretches his body slowly, making Niall chuckle.

“Busy day, I assume?”

“You have no idea,” Zayn tries to sound miserable, but a small smile is still present on his face, making his efforts rather futile. “Some elderly lady came for armadillo bile and there also was a lad who bought a leash or something.”

“Uu, kinky,” Niall waggles his eyebrows, making Zayn snort as he rolls his eyes.

“Yesterday was busier. Actually, there was someone asking for you?”

Furrowing his brows, Niall sends his friend a questioning look. “Who was it?”

Before his friend can answer, Niall walks behind the counter. Gently shoving Zayn a bit to the side, Niall starts rummaging through all the clutter gathered under the counter, trying to locate his wallet.

“It was… some kid?” Zayn says, sounding confused. “I don’t think I’ve seen him before, he was like 7 maybe? I said him you had a day off and he must’ve been disappointed, judging by the ‘ow fuck!’ he let out. And when I asked him for his name, so I can let you know he’s been here, he just said that he’s not allowed to share this information with some random stranger and that I should piss off. And then he just… left.”

Niall laughs throwing his head back as he walks to the back of the store. To be honest, he didn’t need the whole description to guess what kid Zayn had in mind. It wasn’t like a whole lot of children were walking around asking about Niall. Although after hearing what his friend said, Niall didn’t have any doubts that it was Freddie who showed up yesterday. It makes a smile appear on Niall’s face. He wouldn't expect Freddie to come around when Niall wasn't and bother to ask about him. It’s a nice thought and Niall notices with a hint of surprise that he has grown really fond of that kid.

“I can see you’re still a bit shaken,” Niall says with a laugh. “I was too, after the first time I met him.”

“So you do know that little devil?” Zayn calls from his spot by the counter.

Opening and closing random cupboards and drawers in the backroom, Niall starts explaining. “Yeah, I do. He came by once and tried to set free some birds. When I tried to tell him off, he made me feel like a dumdum, lecturing me about how birds should be free. And then his hot dad appeared, accused me of kidnaping his child and wanted to kill me. Freddie—the little one—comes over now and again since then. I think we’ve become friends.”

The only answer he gets is silence. It takes a moment before Zayn huffs out a laugh and says, “I always say that I’m jealous of your ability to make friends with everyone but sometimes it’s just weird. You just befriended some random kid that apparently likes to cause havoc?”

“Basically. But he’s a great kid,” Niall says with a smile. “And he’s good with animals. I’ve shown him the basement chamber and he helped me feeding them and all that.”

Joining him in the backroom, Zayn hums in response. He starts looking around for Niall’s wallet since the latter doesn’t have any luck so far. 

“That’s cool. And you’ve mentioned something about a hot dad, I believe?”

“No, I haven’t,” Niall stutters.

He wants to defend himself, but his face colours red when he realises that he indeed said that. It wasn’t on purpose, but Niall’s not sure if that doesn’t make it even worse. Without even looking at Zayn, he sees the obnoxious smirk on his friend’s face.

“Sure. So is that a part of the plan? You’re trying to get to the dad through his son? And then to said dad’s—?”

“Shut the fuck up, wanker,” Niall groans. “Freddie’s a nice kid and apparently he likes to hang around the shop, so I’m not gonna kick him out. And he happens to have a young and attractive dad, but probably an equally attractive mum as well. The fuck, Zayn.”

Raising his eyebrows, Zayn puts his hands up defensively. If he’s surprised by Niall’s little outburst, he doesn’t show it. Instead an even worse grin appears on his face.

“Okay, chill, mate. It was just a joke. But you’ve gotten unusually defensive. If I didn’t believe you, I might’ve even believe you actually have a crush on the young dad.”

When Niall sends him a glare, Zayn only laughs, apparently very pleased with himself, and walks back towards the main area of the store. Good, Niall thinks. He was no help at all, anyway. With his cheeks still burning a bit, Niall drops onto his knees and checks under the cupboards to make sure that his wallet wasn’t there. It would probably be easier for him to just try to accio it, but Niall doesn’t have the best memories with that. The last time he lost his wallet, he casted a spell but forgot to mention that he wants to accio  _ his  _ wallet and ended up more or less robbing half of the street. Luckily it happened on the Diagon Alley so he was able to more or less explain himself and except some weird looks there were no consequences of this.

So yeah. When it comes to finding his stuff, Niall doesn’t like to rely on magic.

Niall half-lays with his cheek pressed to the floor, lighting the space under the cabinets with his wand. He spends just a few seconds in this position when something hits the back of his head. Startled, Niall looks up. His sudden movement causes a high—and as startled as Niall feels—meow. Snowflake jumps away, landing clumsily on his own tail. He cocks his white head to the side, his pale eyes focused on Niall. After spending so much time around this cat, Niall is not at all surprised of whatever he was trying to do now. About to go back to crawling all over the floor, Niall looks down only to see the wallet laying right in front of him. For a few seconds he just stares at it, dumbfounded. Finally he picks it up and opens to make sure it is his own and when he does that, Snowflake meows.

“Did you find it?” Niall asks, looking at the cat. And when he answers with another meow, Niall doesn’t feel as ridiculous as he probably should.

With a laugh he reaches out to pet Snowflake’s soft fur. The cat purrs happily in response.

“You’re the weirdest cat I’ve ever encountered. One of a kind, you,” Niall chuckles and gets up, grunting quietly when his knee cricks.

Walking back towards the main area of the store, Niall can hear the doorbell ring softly. Before Zayn can say his usual greeting, there is a groan quickly followed by, “Ugh, it’s you again?”

Niall recognises the voice and smiles to himself. Pocketing his wallet, he walks over to Zayn, patting his friend’s shoulder as he walks around the counter.

“Hello, lad,” Niall says. “I’ve heard you’ve been looking for me?”

Niall’s heart grows when he sees how a smile lights up Freddie’s face when the kid sees him. Niall wasn’t expecting such reaction and he especially didn’t expect almost being tackled by the hug that Freddie gives him. Taken off guard, Niall ruffles the boy’s hair. Maybe the kid really missed him that much? His visits had become more or less regular over the last month or so, since the boy first came to Magical Menagerie. But now it had been over a week since Niall last seen him. Maybe Freddie just didn’t know—or doesn’t care—about personal space. Or both. Nevertheless, it is nice and makes Niall’s smile grow wider.

“I came yesterday, but that guy,” Freddie points an accusing finger at poor Zayn, “said you weren’t working!”

“Yeah, I had a day off. I don’t work today, either,” Niall explains and then adds, pointing at Zayn, “And that guy is Zayn and he’s actually pretty cool.”

Freddie turns his head so he can look at Zayn, thinking. He cocks his head to the side as Zayn smiles lightly, but his efforts doesn’t do anything. Freddie just shrugs and looks back at Niall.

“Whatever, I like you better,” the kid just says.

Niall’s too busy being completely endeared by that simple statement, so he doesn’t even react before Freddie asks, “If you’re not working, why are you here?”

“I left my wallet here and I came to pick it up. Been looking for it for ages and you know who found it? Snowflake,” Niall says with a chuckle.

“Who?” Zayn slips, confused.

Freddie rolls his eyes at him, before he turns to Niall with a smile, “Really? I knew he can’t be as dumb as he looks!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a powerful magical creature, but he just hides it very well,” Niall agrees. “Snowflake is that albino cat that escapes from the basement all the time.”

“Oh, okay. I didn’t know he had a name,” Zayn nods.

“I gave it to him,” Freddie crosses his arms, looking at Niall’s friend challengingly.

Niall has no idea where that attitude comes from, but it’s really amusing. He knows very well how it feels to be challenged by a kid and feeling like you’re losing. And it’s very funny watching other people struggle just as much as he did just a few weeks ago.

“Okay, you little rascal,” Niall says eventually, disrupting a staring contest between Freddie and Zayn. “How do you feel about grabbing some ice cream at Florean Fortescue’s?”

What he gets in response is two yelps—one, the excited and joyful one, is from Freddie and the second—rather jealous and offended—is from Zayn who apparently is not happy with the idea that he has to stay at work.

“Yes, let’s go!” Freddie starts jumping around Niall.

“But I think we should go and ask your dad first?” Niall points out.

“Oh, yeah. But he said he’s gonna be done with work earlier so maybe he could join us?”

Niall thinks about it for a second. Technically he doesn’t see any contraindications for Freddie’s dad to join them. Although Niall thinks it might be a bit awkward. Especially since Tomlinson—Louis, he reminds himself—doesn’t seem like he has a fondness of any kind for Niall. Quite the contrary, he seems to tolerate him only because Freddie likes him. The fact that Niall might be a bit attracted to him doesn’t help at all. 

Niall can basically hear Zayn laughing diabolically behind his back. He has to turn away to make sure that it is not actually happening. It isn’t but the grin on Zayn’s face is as obnoxious.

“Let’s go and find out, yeah?” Niall smiles at Freddie, who nods and runs towards the door. Before they leave, Niall flips Zayn a bird when the kid isn’t looking. 

It takes some effort to keep up with Freddie who is sprinting down the road, weaving between the passers-by. Niall thinks that it’s good Diagon Alley is free from muggle means of transport or else Freddie would be run over within seconds. They walk—or run in case of the kid—past Madame Malkin’s and Flourish and Blotts and finally after just a short walk from the Magical Menagerie, Freddie stops in front of Brigg’s Brooms. Just as he grabs by the doorknob, the door swings open and Louis walks out. He smiles, when he notices his son.

“Hey, I was about to get you. You done with Mister Irish?”

“Actually—” Niall starts, rubbing the back of his neck when Louis looks up at him.

Tomlinson’s eyebrows go up at the sight of him and Niall’s not sure whether he’s happy about such reaction or not.

“So now you’re also stalking my kid?” Louis asks.

This time it’s rather obvious that he’s just messing with Niall, because a small smile forms on his lips. Niall rolls his eyes at that and grins in response.

“Niall’s not working today and he wanted to take us for ice cream! Let’s go!” Freddie excitedly tugs at his dad’s sleeve.

“Oh really?” Louis asks, looking between his son and Niall.

“To be honest, I only wanted to take your son to get some ice cream, but since you’ve barged in like this, I don’t think I have a choice,” Niall sighs, but he fails to keep a straight face.

“You don’t. You act exactly like that kind of person kids are warned about, so I have to go and keep an eye on you,” Louis jabs Niall in the chest, resting his other hand on Freddie’s head. His eyes skip back to his son and he says with a smile, “Come on, lad. We’re going to get some ice cream.”

And the two of them starts walking down the road, not even looking back to check whether Niall is following or not. It takes him a few seconds of confused blinking and staring at the Tomlinsons’ backs before he shakes his head and decides to run after them. When he catches up, Louis doesn’t even spare him a glance, but his lips curl into a smirk.

“You know, it’s not funny to be accused of being a pedophile or something,” Niall points out, matching up his pace with them.

“You know, it is not funny when you’re being a pussy,” Louis mocks.

“Hey, I’m not a pussy!”

Louis chuckles when he turns his head to look at Niall, “You know what, I take it back. It is quite funny when you get all defensive and offended.”

“I’m no—” Niall starts but then he closes his mouth. He has to fight the urge to cross his arms on his chest. He won’t give Louis more reasons to make fun of him. “Whatever. I know you won’t let Freddie come to the Magical Menagerie if you thought I’m that bad. You’re just being a dick.”

“Dad thinks you’re cute,” Freddie chimes in.

Taken off guard, Niall opens then closes his mouth and furrows his brows looking at the kid who is smiling up at him, apparently proud of being helpful. Hoping his cheeks aren’t as red as he thinks they are, he looks up at Louis. The older Tomlinson is refusing to look at him, his eyes trained on his son.

“Ow, you got it all wrong, little lad!” he tuts. “I meant ‘cunt’ not ‘cute’.”

Niall only chuckles, not feeling offended in the slightest when he sees how Louis is unable to look at him for more than a second.

“I'm flattered,” he says, not able to stop a grin from growing on his face. His cheeks are still stinging and Niall is slightly embarrassed by his reaction. But the fact that Louis is obviously more embarrassed makes him feel better.

“Well, if you like being referred to as a ‘cunt’, then you're welcome,” Louis says, trying to sound casual.

He doesn't do such a great job. 

The remaining walk to the ice cream shop is pretty short and Louis walks two steps in front of them and ignores Niall for the entirety of it. Niall doesn't really mind, chatting with Freddie—or rather trying to make sense of whatever story the little one was telling—and from time to time glancing at Louis’ back with a small smile dancing in the corner of his mouth.

When they finally reach the Fortescue’s and get their orders, they sit at one of the outdoor tables. Even though Niall was the one who proposed coming here, Louis pays for his order before he even has the chance to react. Niall tries not to think too much into this.

“So are you a Quidditch fan as well or do you just happen to work at a broom shop by accident?” Niall asks when they're finally seated comfortably.

He doesn't like to sit in silence, especially in one that feels like a wilful punishment for him.

“Well, it is rather random, me working there. I do enjoy Quidditch, played it at Hogwarts, but footie's much better. It doesn't tend to get painfully long after the snitch gets lost or whatever,” Louis answers.

It is quite a surprise for Niall how smoothly it goes from there. Louis’ bitchy attitude disappears—maybe not completely, but enough for Niall to consider him a pretty nice guy. They talk about sports, magical and not, because they seem to share a liking for both. Niall learns that Louis was Slytherin and that he has graduated from Hogwarts just four years earlier than Niall has said goodbye to his own blue and silver robes. He also gets to know some more about Louis’ family, his rather Muggle upbringing even though his mum is a witch and about how it is to live with five sisters and only one brother who’s more or less Freddie’s age. It is hard to keep a smile off his face when Niall sees the fond expression on Louis’ face when he talks about his family.

And as Niall shares facts and stories about himself in return, it turns out that they have quite a lot in common. Their upbringing, their interests, their most and least favourite professors at Hogwarts. Niall always thought of himself as a rather private person and yet he catches himself sharing some things about himself that not everyone knows. It’s very weird but he gets that strange feeling around Tomlinson that he can’t really decipher. Despite how this all started, when they sit and talk there at the Flaubert’s terrace, Niall feels like he could tell Louis everything and he would understand. And maybe drop a snarky comment now and then, because he doesn’t seem capable of stopping those from coming.

It isn’t until Freddie starts squirming in his chair and starts whining more pressingly when Niall looks at the time. It comes as quite of a shock that it’s already close to four o’clock. When he points that out to Louis, the older man curses.

“It seems like I completely wasted my day off,” Louis sighs. He looks from the mess of napkins and empty ice-cream dessert containers to his son. Then he slowly drags his eyes up to look at Niall. “And apparently I gave my kid two servings of ice cream for dinner today. It’s all your fucking fault, Neil.”

Niall makes an offended noise. “How is it my fault?!”

“Well, it was your idea to get ice cream!”

“It’s not like you were invited in the first place! You didn’t have to come.”

“So I would miss all this blushing and smiling AND the embarrassing stories about you making your pants disappear in public? No way, lad.”

“It was one time!” Niall growls, although he's smiling and his cheeks get warm again. “Is it really the only thing you'll remember?”

Louis levitates all the rubbish to the nearby bin and he helps Freddie push his chair from the table. He grins at Niall.

“I guess you'll have to put some effort to make me remember other things about you, not just the image of you with your pants off” and then he winks at Niall and Niall's confused, trying to guess whether he's been flirted with or not. Before he can draw any conclusions, the Tomlinsons are about to leave, so he stands up.

“Bye, Niall!” Freddie shouts, hugging Niall around his middle.

“See you 'round, Niall,” Louis says with a smile, ruffling Niall's hair as he and Freddie walk by.

“Bye!” Niall yells after them a bit too late, making a few heads turn in his direction.

He thinks it was the first time Louis pronounced his name properly. But it is probably not the only reason that keeps a smile on this face for the rest of the day.

 

 

**-4-**

It has became a tradition, more or less. Freddie still comes by to the store at least once a week, helping Niall with the magical creatures, playing quietly with Puffskeins or Snowflake in the corner or messing with Zayn whenever he and Niall are working at the shop together. It has been really nice.

And what is even nicer is the fact that Louis tags along more frequently as well. Sometimes when he comes by to pick Freddie, he stays for a chat, sometimes they go for ice cream or lunch together, sometimes they randomly come across each other at the street—which is by pure chance, not because of the fact that Niall has changed his route home to pass by the Brigg’s Brooms.

And after each of those days spent to some extend with the Tomlinson's Zayn wouldn't shut up, teasing Niall mercilessly—and rather childishly, if Niall is to judge—about his apparent crush on Louis. Niall has grown a kind of immune system to this, completely ignoring his best friend's comments. Just like he's been ignoring how his palms were sweating or how he was stumbling on his words around Louis sometimes.

Because it is weird. Niall keeps thinking about it, playing all the conversations he's had with the Tomlinsons in his head and he has nothing. No matter how hard he tries, he can't remember any mention of Freddie's mum. And he's not going to ask, obviously. It is none of his business. He just finds it a bit surprising, that's it. And the last thing he wants to do is to jeopardise the family, just because he happens to fancy Freddie’s dad. Zayn and his unnecessary comments can go fuck themselves for Niall is completely content with the relationship he has now with Louis and his kid. Plus he feels better not thinking about it too much. Thinking about it makes him want to draw conclusions that he does not always like.

It is one of those traditional days—Niall’s buzzing, mostly aimlessly, around the shop and pretending that he’s doing some work, while Freddie has plonked down onto the floor in the back, with his back resting against the counter as he plays with Snowflake.

The peace of it is interrupted around 1 o’clock. Niall is trying to rearrange the colourful bottles with various products for crups when the door swing open. While Niall glances in that direction between the shelves, he notices Louis. A small smile appears on his face as he puts down the bottle he’s holding.

“Hey, w—” he starts, going around the rack. He stops abruptly as he sees the look on Louis’ face. “What happened?”

Because Louis is unnaturally tense and fidgety, his eyes skipping around the shop, focusing on Niall for only short moments. His face is pale and his eyes seem to be a bit reddened although Niall can’t be sure because they are constantly moving. Niall’s hand twitch by his side, wanting to reach out and touch Louis’ shoulder to help him focus.

“I’m—” Tomlinson starts quietly, looking around the shop. “Where’s Freddie?”

Niall opens his mouth to reply, but before he does that, Freddie’s head pops up from behind the counter.

“Dad?”

Freddie comes closer, watching the older Tomlinson with his head cocked to the side, clearly sensing that something is wrong. In response, a faint smile appears on Louis’ face and he crouches to be at eye-level with his son.

“What’s wrong?” Freddie asks.

Louis sighs, his eyes skipping from the kid to Niall. But at least he seems a bit calmer, now that Freddie’s by his side. Niall wonders whether he should leave and give them some privacy or not.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. Nana Jay—my mum,” he adds looking up at Niall, but then focuses back on his son, “she’s gotten a bit sick. Auntie Lottie called me that they had to take her to the hospital. But there’s nothing to worry about, yeah?”

A sad expression appears on Freddie’s face but he nods. When Niall catches Louis’ eyes again, it is obvious that he’s not following his own advice very well. He stands up, caressing Freddie’s head as the boy moves closer for a hug.

“I wanted to… go to the hospital to see what’s going on but—” Louis stops, looking at Niall.

It takes Niall just a moment to understand, “You don’t want to take Freddie there?” When Louis nods, Niall smiles in what he hopes is reassuring way, “If you—need someone to—he could stay with me, if you want.”

“Really? I didn’t want to ask, because—But I don’t really have anyone else around and—It would be amazing if you could do that,” Louis looks hopeful and it’s not like Niall had any plans anyway.

Looking down at Freddie, who still has his arms wrapped around Louis but is looking at him, Niall winks at him with a smile, “What do you think, mate? You’d be up for it?”

Freddie glances up at his dad and turns his head back to Niall. He shrugs with a small smile, “I could do that. You’re cool enough.”

Niall feels flattered.

“Okay, I’m gonna go then. Be nice, yeah? But not to nice, don’t let Neil get too comfortable,” Louis smirks and kisses the top of Freddie’s head. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Freddie nods and runs back after Snowflake who emerges from between the racks.

“Thank you, Niall,” Louis says, making Niall’s head snap back to him. “I really do, you’re a life saviour and I really appreciate it, lad.”

“You don’t have to, I’m happy to help,” Niall smiles. “Keep me updated if you want, yeah? And take as much time as you want, I’m sure we’ll manage.”

Louis’ nods with a sad smile, his hand goes up to rest on Niall’s bicep, squeezing it lightly. Then, he moves away, shouts one more goodbye to Freddie and he’s out of the store.

“Well,” Niall says to nobody in particular, but it makes Freddie look at him. “I guess, we’re on our own now? I’m gonna figure out how can we go home a bit earlier today.”

He calls Zayn and after Niall explains the situation, it doesn’t require a lot of convincing  for Zayn to take the rest of his shift. Within half an hour, Zayn apparates in front of the store so Niall and Freddie can head home. 

They leave Diagon Alley and join the slowly thickening crowd rushing through the regular streets of London. Living near enough the Magical Menagerie, Niall never felt the need to give up his habits just because he happens to know how to use magic. It does make his life a lot easier, but the Muggle lifestyle has its virtues as well. Like technology, for example. This way he can easily be in touch with Louis, not having to send an owl or whatever. He remembers how surprised he first was when he learned how old-fashioned some wizards still were.

It is still quite early and since Niall can’t really remember when was the last time he did a proper grocery shopping, he takes Freddie to the nearest supermarket, wanting to make a proper dinner for him and the little one. Of course after almost an hour, they leave the store with bags filled mostly with sweets and snacks, but Niall manages to smuggle some proper food as well.

When they finally get to Niall’s flat, Freddie immediately drops the bag he was carrying. He runs towards the couch and falls onto it with a heavy sigh. It is obvious that he’s just being dramatic and he’s not even tired. Niall only shakes his head, taking of his shoes and grabbing a bag of candy that he throws at the kid sprawled on his couch. A pained howl is what he gets in response. 

“Take off your shoes, you rascal,” Niall says, picking the bags and taking them to the kitchen.

It takes another howl and a dramatic fall from the couch, but Freddie does as he’s told. More or less as he’s told. He takes off his shoes and throws them into the general direction of the door. Niall’s good reflexes comes in handy — he manages to grab his wand from the kitchen counter and stop one of the trainers from smashing the mirror in the hall. When he glares at the young Tomlinson, the latter only grins, the smile a carbon copy of his father’s. Niall can't really help but smile in return. To maintain his authority he does the “I'm watching you” gesture, but he doesn't think Freddie's very concerned about it.

While Niall unpacks all the groceries, he lets Freddie stay on the couch and rest for a bit. Buzzing around the kitchen, he hears the TV turn on in the living room, meaning that the kid must've found the remote stuck under one of the cushions. Just as quickly the noise is cut off.

“Niall?” Freddie calls and after receiving a questioning hum in response, he asks, “Can I watch the telly?”

Niall chuckles to himself, but he really appreciates the effort. “Sure. But later you'll help me with lunch, right?”

“Okay,” Freddie answers, turning the TV back on.

It doesn't take Niall long to put away everything, leaving on the counter only the lunch ingredients they'll need later. He fixes himself a cup of tea and sits by the tiny table squeezed into his tiny kitchen. He taps the screen of his phone that he's abandoned at the tabletop a few moment ago. It wakes and Niall sees no new notifications. For a moment he wonders whether he should text Louis. Maybe he would like a little update on Freddie, besides Niall would really want to make sure everything's fine with Louis mum. Niall's been worried since Tomlinson appeared at Magical Menagerie this morning, but he's not reply sure whether it is his place to be worried and to ask Louis about it.

Before Niall manages to make a decision the phone vibrates in his hand, startling him. He is a bit surprised to see a message from Louis there.

_ hey Neil, did your flat get demolished already? if not im really disappointed by my son!!  _

Quickly, another text follows.

_ but really is everything fine? sorry i’ve stuck you with all this again and thank u for doing this for me means a lot x _

Niall smiles to himself, his fingers hovering over his phone. Before he can figure out how to answer, a third message comes.

_ everything’s fine here. my mum’s completely fine, doctor says she’s just overworked (which i told her like a million times already!) and it was the reason she fainted but there’s no need to worry. she’s staying in the hospital till tomorrow so she can rest and have all the tests done so i’m gonna drop by the house to make sure everyone’s ok? if you don’t mind keeping an eye for Freddie a bit longer? _

Waiting for a moment to make sure it’s the last message, Niall starts typing back.

_ I’m so happy your mum’s fine ! no need to thank me , i’m always happy to help . and don’t worry and take all the time you need Freddie’s fine and i don’t mind taking care of him . the flat’s still standing (surprisingly !) although i had to save my mirror from being smashed by a shoe ! we’re about to make some lunch now so i guess we’re fine . _

Niall doesn’t have to wait long for a reply.

_ that’s my boy! tell him i’m proud of him and he should keep up the good, mirror-smashing work! also don’t give him tomatoes. he’s not allergic or anything, he just hates them so much he can idk smash it on your face or something. so maybe give him one and see what happens, it could be fun :p _

Chuckling quietly, Niall sends a row of middle finger emojis to which Louis responds with the kissy face. Niall shakes his head, putting his phone screen-down on the table. Having put away his half-emptied cup of tea, he leaves the kitchen and walks into the living room.

“What’s up, lad? Maybe we should start on that lunch, huh?” he says, nudging Freddie, who closes his eyes and sticks out his tongue as soon as Niall enters the room.

It takes a moment but eventually Freddie abandons the idea of playing a deadman and agrees to join Niall in the kitchen. In the meantime Niall realises his mistake of picking a bag of candies as a weapon against Freddie when they got to the flat. A colourful wrapper is sticking out from under the cushion and when Niall picks the pillow up, he can see half-dozen more. Freddie runs towards the kitchen before Niall can confront him about it.

Niall turns on the radio as they start working on the food. He lets Freddie do all the easier stuff like washing the veggies or mixing the spices Niall will need for the chicken later on. Freddie does whatever he’s asked for rather dutifully, but Niall can’t stop thinking that he seems a bit cut up.

“You alright there, Freddie?” Niall asks, heating up the pan and looking over his shoulder at the kid who is fumbling with a spoon in the bowl of spices. The boy only shrugs and nods his head but it doesn’t really looks convincing. “You’re worried about your grandma, aren’t you?”

Once again, a rather gloomy nod is what he gets in response. “I just texted your dad a while ago and he told me everything was fine, you know? Your grandma was just tired from all the work and she needs to get some rest and she’ll be as good as new.”

“Okay,” Freddie says. After a moment he adds, “But I’m also worried about dad.”

“Why is that?” Niall furrows his brows.

“He works a lot, too. And he always takes care of me and plays with me, even if he’s tired. I think he’s lonely, too. Sometimes he seems sad but when I ask him about it he always says it’s nothing. I think he worries more now since mum don’t talk to us that much anymore.”

Niall stares at the pan in front of him not realising that he’s about to burn the oil he has put in there. Blinking a few times, he tries hard to come up with something, anything wise to say right now. This is very far from what Niall was expecting, if he’s being honest. Turning off the ring, Niall abandons the pan and turns towards the table. He sees the sad pout on Freddie’s face, mindlessly playing with the spoon he’s still holding. It breaks Niall’s heart a little, to see the worry written all over the boy’s face. With a small sigh, he comes closer and—since the only chair is occupied by Freddie—crouches on the opposite side of the table, resting his forearms on it.

“Your dad is a great and strong man, right?” Niall says and Freddie nods vigorously. “And you are also a great and strong man, hope you know that?” A weak chuckle escapes the boy’s mouth and Niall smiles at that. “I understand why you’re worried about your dad. I’m still worried about mine all the time. It’s cause we just really love our dads, don’t we?”

Freddie gives him another solemn nod.

“But I’m sure your dad will be okay. You guys have a great family and you have each other. I bet your dad doesn’t have to worry about anything in the world when he has champ like you by his side.”

A tiny smile forms in the corner of Freddie’s mouth that grows into a full grin when Niall reaches to chuck the boy under the chin.

“I can carry on with making lunch if you want to call your dad?” Niall offers.

Freddie really likes the idea and almost as soon as Niall dials, he runs towards the living room with the phone pressed to his ear. But before he leaves the kitchen, Freddie wraps his little arms around Niall’s neck, almost tackling Niall down since he’s still crouching by the table.

Smiling to himself, Niall gets up and picks up the abandoned pan, changing the almost-burnt oil.

It is quite a surprise to Niall that he has managed to deal with the little crisis as he did. He always considered himself as rather lousy around kids.  Maybe it’s just Freddie that Niall seems to have this good bond with. But whatever it is, Niall is really happy that he managed to cheer Freddie up at least a bit. Not able to stop smiling, Niall turns up the volume of the radio that has been playing in the background since they’ve come home. Humming under his breath, he focuses on making lunch and soon the kitchen fills with delicious smell.

 

After the talk with Louis, Freddie is completely back to being his energetic, loud self. They eat lunch in the living room and after Niall takes out the dirty plates, they sink back into the couch. A heated discussion occurs when they try to decide what to watch, but eventually Niall gives in to Freddie’s demands for an Iron Man marathon. Somewhere during the second movie, Niall notices that Freddie has fallen asleep, cuddling one of the cushions close to his chest. Careful not to startle him, Niall gets up to get a blanket that he carefully places over the sleeping boy. Turning down the volume, he leaves the movie on but he only partially pays attention to what is happening on the screen.

Past seven o’clock there is a soft knock on Niall’s door. He is not surprised when he opens them to see Louis standing on the other side. Tomlinson smiles at him. There still are darker circles under his eyes and he seems a bit tired but other than that he looks way better than he did this afternoon. Niall reciprocates the smile, shifting to the side and opens the door wider for Louis to come in.

“Where’s the little Tommo?” Louis ask, looking around the hall.

“He capitulated halfway through an Iron Man marathon and is now asleep on the couch,” Niall says.

Louis chuckles and gives a small nod at that. “Was he a proper pain in the ass or should I have a serious talk with him?”

Niall rolls his eyes, but grins at Louis. “He was actually super nice today. Helped me with lunch and all that. Although he did call me a ‘fucking dumbass’ when I wanted to watch a documentary.”

“Oi, if I knew you’d try to torture my kid, I’d never leave him with you! It was a totally deserved insult.” Louis points his finger at Niall. But after a second he gets more serious. “But really, was it okay? I really didn’t want to be any trouble to you but…”

Shaking his head, Niall doesn’t even let him finish. “Lou, it’s fine. I didn’t mind. Freddie’s a great kid and I’m happy I could help.”

Louis closes his mouth and lets out a deep breath. He nods and smiles at Niall.

“Thank you so much for that. Now lemme collect the little one and we’ll be going.”

“Actually…” Niall starts, scratching at his neck. “Maybe you want to come in? There’s still some food left if you’re hungry or—”

“Oh, thank you but I’ve eaten. To be honest I’m probably gonna hit the bed when we get home. But thanks for the offer.”

Niall nods his head maybe a bit too aggressively, trying not to feel stupid about asking the question. He just wanted to be nice, there’s no reason for his cheeks to sting like this. To distract himself—and make sure Louis won’t notice his blush—Niall shows Louis to the living room. 

Louis crouches next to the couch and very gently shakes Freddie’s arm. The boy slowly blinks his eyes open, but as soon as he notices his dad, a sleepy smile blooms on his face. In no time, he slides off the couch and clings to Louis body.

“Not getting any lighter, little one,” Louis grunts as he gets up with his son in his arms. “Wanna slap Niall goodbye or something before we leave?”

Niall sighs dramatically. Although even after such a limited amount of time he’s spend around the Tomlinsons he learned not to be offended at such comments. Instead, he focuses on the little boy who extends his arm towards him, still too groggy to get to Niall by himself. Louis takes a few steps closer and when Niall is in Freddie’s arms reach, the boy wraps them around Niall’s neck. Letting a surprised noise at the—rather tight—embrace, he lets himself be pulled closer, feeling Louis forearm pressing into his chest as he does that. From this close, Louis can most certainly notice the redness of Niall’s cheeks. Just like Niall can notice the beautiful shade that Louis’ eyes looking down at him have.

“Bye, Niall,” Freddie mumbles and finally releases him.

However nice and flattering the hug was, Niall is rather happy to be able to take a step back. Being this close to Louis made it a bit harder for Niall to breathe.

“Bye, lad. You should come by again some time to eat all the candy we’ve bought today,” Niall says, trying to ignore the warmth he feels inside.

He walks them both to the door and before they left, Louis turns to him one more time, smiling softly.

“Thanks again for everything. Goodnight, Niall.”

A moment later they disappear. Niall closes the door behind them and leans back against it for a moment. He takes a deep breath and gives up on trying to fight a smile that makes its way onto his face. Going back to the living room, he resumes the stopped earlier movie, but he focuses on it even less than before.

 

 

**-5-**

With every passing day, it is getting really hard for Niall not to think about a certain little boy and his father. It was already difficult to stop his mind from wandering in their direction before. But now it's just getting worse, especially considering the fact that they are spending together quite a lot of time. Niall isn’t exactly sure how and why that has happened. He is not going to complain, though. After just a few months of knowing the Tomlinsons Niall has grown really fond of them and he would even dare to say that they both are also quite fond of him. Obviously, just one of the Tomlinsons is actually showing the affection openly.

However, there is one thing that Niall doesn't really like in the whole relationship that he has gotten into. It’s the fact that the more he thinks about it, the more conclusions without substantiations he's having. Some of them are nice, some of them rather not. But what is the worst about both of those categories is that he can't really verify them. Or maybe he could but he's not sure if he wants to.

For example, after that one day of taking care of Freddie, Niall can't stop thinking about all the things the boy said. About his dad feeling alone, about the fact that they're not really in touch with the kid's mum. Niall doesn't know—and even if he's a bit curious, he's not going to ask, because it's Louis’ private life—what is the deal with Freddie's mum. Whatever it is, he figures, must be at least a bit saddening, for both of them. But there is also another little voice in Niall's head. A more selfish voice, who's driven mostly by the attraction and affection Niall might feel towards the older Tomlinson. And that is the voice that says taking all he knows into consideration, Louis’ probably single.

Niall does not like that voice.

But on the other hand it's not his fault that Louis—aside from being unfairly fit—is one of the warmest and most thoughtful people Niall's met. And he has met plenty of people in his life. The fact that sometimes Louis is confusingly flirty does not help at all. Niall has no idea whether it is actually flirting that he could and should respond to or is it just the way Louis is. That confusion always makes Niall stutter and blush and do other ridiculous things that only make Louis laugh. Like that one time when the three of them went to grab a lunch during a break at work. Louis made some dumb comment about Niall’s eyes being blue enough to drown a dolphin and in response to that Niall somehow managed to boil the water in the glass he was holding, breaking the container. Luckily, there were no casualties in the accident. Excluding, of course, Niall's pride. After a moment of being really concerned if Niall was OK—which was really cute—Louis started laughing—which wasn’t cute at all.Then for over a week, Louis brought it up to embarrass Niall, and every time they met he greeted Niall with “what's up, hot stuff?”

It most certainly didn't help Niall to control his stuttering and random magic outbursts.

Niall tries to keep himself in check when it comes to trying to make a move at Louis or even thinking about it. It’s not like he would normally do that. He just makes sure to be very careful and respectful, since while being a single dad, Louis has probably other problems than some random dude having a crush on him. 

He does a pretty decent job at hiding his feelings until one, seemingly usual afternoon. 

Already done with the job, Niall finds himself being physically dragged into Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. The day before, Louis has asked him to keep an eye on Freddie for a bit because he had some errands to run and he didn’t want to tug the kid along with him. Of course Niall agreed and now he found himself unable to say no to those bright eyes staring at him while Freddie asked to visit the famous joke shop. And this is how he ended up being surrounded mostly by excited children running around the store and examining the colourful packages of—rather unpleasant if you’d ask Niall—sweets and candies and other items like Weasley’s Wildfire Whiz-Bangs, Reusable Hangmen, Headless Hats, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and other things that Niall would like to stay away from. The amount of mess and havoc that could be caused by this gave him a slight headache. But Freddie seemed to be delighted, so Niall doesn’t mind that much.

He lets Freddie wander around and see over whatever he wants. Most of the time Niall tries to explain the kid why certain products are a horribly bad idea and most of the time Freddie calls him a bloody killjoy. But what catches Niall off guard is when Freddie stops in front of a WonderWitch selection and after looking at it for a moment, he picks a love potion.

“You think those work?” Freddie asks, shoving the bottle in Niall’s face.

Trying not to laugh, Niall takes the bottle from the boy and fiddles with it. He raises an eyebrow at Freddie. 

“Well. They can’t make someone really fall in love. It can only make someone really obsessed over somebody, but not to love them. No magic can really do that,” he explains, watching Freddie’s face fell a bit. “Why do you ask?”

Freddie shrugs, taking the bottle from Niall’s hands and setting it back on the shelf.

“I was just wondering,” he says. When Niall’s certain that he won’t get anything more, Freddie adds, “Dad said that he wouldn’t mind asking you out and kissing your stupid face. So I thought I can make sure you’d agree. I didn’t like dad’s last boyfriend, but you’re cool and I want dad to be happy.”

And with that Freddie just carries on with his exploration of the store. Meanwhile, Niall stays behind trying to remember what the symptoms of a heart attack are. His heart is pounding in his chest, the rushing blood blocking the rest of the noises and he feels hot all over. It takes him a minute to realise that it is not a heart attack and that he should probably catch up with Freddie, who is about to toddle off behind a corner.

“W-what?” Niall stutters, making Freddie send him a funny look.

“What what?”

“Your dad really said… that?” Niall makes a vague gesture with his hand. After a moment of thought, he realises that this is not what should concern him the most. “And you wanted to give me a love potion?”

Freddie cocks his head to the side. “Yeah,” he says, ready to walk away.

“No, no no, wait a second.” Niall places an arm on Freddie’s shoulder and leads him to a side. They stop next to the stairs to the upper floor. Niall tries to make a serious face, although he is aware that he’s probably beet red and a smile threatens to appear on his face any second. Meanwhile, Freddie is just looking at him with curiosity, apparently not fazed at all.

“Look. I get that you want your dad to be happy and I want it, too,” Niall admits. “But using such potion would be sneaky and it wouldn’t really help in a long run. You can’t make people love each other just like that, it wouldn’t be real, you know?”

A small pout appears on Freddie’s face, but he nods. In response, Niall finally lets out a chuckle and he says with a smile, “Luckily, I’d agree if your dad asked anyway. No potions needed.”

Even despite all the nice words he has heard from Freddie so far and all this time they have been spending together, Niall is still surprised to see how much the kid’s face brightens up at what Niall says. And when Freddie hugs him around the waist Niall feels like he could cry. Instead, he only laughs, ruffling the boy’s hair and they proceed their trip around the store. 

The fluttering feeling in Niall’s stomach is still there when Freddie decides he’s ready to leave the store. Almost exactly at the same time, Niall gets a message from Louis that he’s back at the Diagon Alley and he’s heading towards the Gringotts at the moment, so they could probably meet there. It takes just a few minutes for Freddie and Niall to get there.

And even though that almost half hour has passed since Freddie’s revelation, Niall still feels his cheeks get warm as soon as he sees Louis sitting at one of the benches near the bank. As soon as Freddie spots him, he leaves Niall side and sprints towards his dad. Niall almost wants to run after him to see if Freddie would tell Louis anything about the talk they’ve had. He manages to stay calm and slowly catch up with them. Or at least he’s pretending that he’s calm.

Before Niall joins them, Freddie already runs away towards the nearby stalls to look at whatever they’re selling.

“Done with all the errands?” Niall asks casually, sitting on the bench beside Louis.

“I think so. Although I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten about something,” Louis says with a shrug. He doesn’t seem that worried about it. “What were you two doing?”

A traitorous blush appears on Niall’s face. It is rather convenient that Louis is too busy keeping an eye on Freddie, who’s buzzing around the stalls, and isn’t looking in Niall’s direction.

“Freddie wanted to go to Weasley’s.”

“Again?” Louis sighs. “He’s obsessed with this place. I’ve been there way too many times, I probably know the entire layout by heart. Glad it wasn’t me that had to go there with him for once.”

Niall chuckles. It comes a bit more choked that he intended. Louis either doesn’t realise or doesn’t comment on it.

“Yeah. He wanted to buy a love potion today.” Niall says.

“Love potion? For whom?”

Biting his lower lip, Niall dares to look at Louis’ surprised face only for a second or two. Looking at the other side of the street, he clears his throat.

“For me, I think.” Niall shrugs, trying to sound casual. Louis’ eyebrows only shoot higher. “To make sure I’d agree if you ask me out. Because apparently that’s a thing you want to do. That and… some other things. With me.”

Niall knows he will probably remember that day for long, but he's just not sure whether it will be a happy or a sad memory. But he is sure that he will remember today as the day when he managed to leave Louis speechless and blushing. If Niall wasn't as nervous, he'd probably laugh at the kaleidoscope of emotions that appears on Louis face—from surprise to fear to embarrassment. But he's too busy waiting anxiously for an answer to really appreciate it.

Eventually, the internal crisis that Louis seemed to have is over and he throws his head back and lets out a low growl. Niall tries not to be attracted to this.

“I can't believe my own son would do this to me,” Louis mumbles, hiding his face behind his hands.

“In his defence, I can say that he just wanted to help.” Niall chuckles, still gnawing at his lip.

“Well, I do not feel helped right now.”

With a heavy sigh, Louis lifts his head again, makes sure that Freddie's still in the same spot he was a moment ago, then looks down at the ground, running a hand through his hair. It is quite obvious to Niall that he's stalling. Seeing him red-faced and nervous like this is more endearing that Niall would admit. Although not hearing any response doesn't help him get rid of his own anxiety.

“Look,” Louis finally says. He clears his throat and takes a moment to gather his thoughts. “You know that Freddie's the most important thing in my life and he always comes first, right? Always.”

Niall furrows his brows. This is not the kind of response he was hoping for and he's not really sure where it even comes from. Patiently, he waits for some more explanation.

“I don't date because I don't have time. But I also don’t date because I don't want him to get hurt in any way.” Louis eyes skip from Freddie to Niall for a moment, then he takes a breath and looks at Niall properly. “I can't fool around and waste time on something that won't work. It's all or nothing for me.”

With that, Louis turns his head away and Niall can see the way his jaw is tensing. Making sure that he's finished, Niall simply says,

“Okay.”

Apparently this is not what Louis was excepting. His head snaps back towards Niall and he looks genuinely surprised.

“‘Okay’?” he repeats and when Niall simply nods at that, he adds, “That's it?”

“What else should I say?” Niall shrugs. “I know that. I was ready for something like this. Wasn't sure if my crush will ever get to that point, but I kind of expected this.” He smiles lightly. “I know how much Freddie means to you and I know that he's a wonderful kid. I don't want to—I like you. Both of you. And if you decided to give me a chance, I'd like to try.”

Louis takes a deep breath and only stares at him. The determined and serious look that was probably supposed to scare Niall away slowly fades, turning into something much softer. Niall feels like his stomach does somersaults and he has to clench his fists so he won't start nervously biting at the side of his thumb.

And it is exactly this moment that Freddie picks to run back to them. Stopping right next to Louis, he wraps one hand around his dad's neck and gives him a half hug.

It takes another second for Louis to tear his eyes away from Niall and focus on his son. Then he finally laughs sounding a bit breathless and he hides his face in Freddie's shoulder.

“I can't believe you betrayed me like that, kiddo,” Louis says. He doesn't sound mad, though.

“I did not! I helped!” Freddie defends himself. “So what? Are  you and Niall going on a date?”

Louis chuckles once again and looks up. Niall's heart rate picks up when he sees the happy sparkles in Louis’ eyes.

“I don't know, are we?” Louis smiles.

Niall nods, feeling like he can float away any second. “Yeah. Yeah, we are.”

“Cool!” Freddie grins. “Can I come, too?”

 

 

**- &-**

Niall is buzzing. From the moment he woke up today, he was filled with so much energy that it made him feel like he's going to explode. It is not exactly a pleasant feeling. And even Zayn came by to the Magical Menagerie around noon, just to make fun of Niall and his fidgety-ness. Obviously, it is all caused by the fact that in just a few hours he has a date with Louis.

Finally, after almost two weeks since the conversation they've had, they managed to find the time to actually go out on a proper date. Of course they've seen each other during that time, but it didn't seem much different than before the talk. Maybe Louis flirting is more obvious now. And maybe there are a bit more fleeting touches when they're around each other. But nothing drastic. Niall guesses it's just natural, after all nothing has really changed between them, maybe despite the fact that they've finally admitted their feelings to each other. They—or Niall, at least—needed time to adapt to the new situation, to figure out what it's supposed to look like now. Hopefully, going out on a proper date will help with that. 

So Niall is really excited for that.

He really is.

Though he is also really nervous, thinking about all the possible things that can go wrong.

He's not doing it on purpose. It is just his traitorous mind giving him all those images and suggestions. What if Louis changes his mind? Decides that Niall is not worth the effort? What if they're not really fit for each other and the date will only expose that? Niall despises the self-sabotage that his brain is doing. Dating always makes him stressed, especially the beginning of it and it's even worse when he really cares about the person with whom it’s with. Now there kind of are two people that have stolen his heart. The thought that if it's not going to work out with Louis means that he's going to lose Freddie too is not helpful in the slightest.

But he's not going to lose anyone, Niall assures himself, trying to get rid of the anxiety. Tonight, he's going to  spend a great time with Louis and not worry too much about what's next.

 

It is slightly past 3 o'clock when the door to the Magical Menagerie opens with a quiet chime of the bells above it. Niall sits behind the counter with Snowflake laying across his lap and he strokes the cat's soft fur, finding it weirdly calming. The small noise makes him look up and his brows raise in surprise when he sees Louis.

“Hey,” Niall greets him, laying the cat on the floor so he can get up. “Did something happen?”

The question seems valid, since Louis doesn't seem happy, as if something's bothering him. He avoids Niall's eyes, scratching at his neck in a nervous gesture.

“No, it's just—,” Louis starts. He comes closer and stops on the other side of the counter. “Or actually yes. I hate to do this, but we can't go out tonight.”

Niall's face falls, his anxiety goes up and his mind desperately tries to bring back all the dark scenarios it has created earlier. Trying to get a hold of himself and convincing himself it's not that bad, Niall asks,

“Why? Is everything okay?”

“Not really. I mean. Freddie’s sick. He has a flu or some other shit and I had to come home earlier from work so I can take care of him. I only came here, cause I felt like you deserve an explanation in person, not just a random text or something. But I don't want to leave him tonight and I have to stay at home.” Louis says all this almost in one breath. When he looks at Niall, there is this determined look again, the one that Niall has seen when they first talked about it. “We can't go on a date. I could leave Freddie with my ma, but I'd rather be with him. I'm sorry. But it's gonna be like this, I'm always gonna pick my son so you should get used to it and—”

“Lou.” Niall interrupts softly, reaching out and resting his hand on top of one of Louis’ fists resting on the counter. It makes the latter stop abruptly.

“What?”

“Don't try to scare me away,” Niall says, smiling. “It’s not gonna work. I know all this. We've already had this conversation. You don't have to do this, I'm not going anywhere. Whether you like it or not.”

Louis blinks, looking caught off guard. Niall smiles at him.

“You don't have to apologise for staying with your son when he's sick. I understand and I could never be mad about it. We can go out some other time,” Niall assures him.

“We can?” Louis repeats dumbly.

Niall nods, squeezing at Louis’ hand. Then he comes up with an idea and goes around the counter.

“Maybe you could take one of the Puffskeins for him? I figure he must be pretty miserable having a flu and they always cheer him up. And if you need help with any—”

Before he can finish, Louis takes a step towards Niall and taking Niall's face in his hands he kisses him, just like that, in the middle of the Magical Menagerie.

It's just a short kiss, a peck on the lips lasting for only a few seconds. But it makes Niall heart jump happily in his chest and it fills him with warmth. He's a bit dizzy and a lot surprised, when Louis moves away.

“Thank you,” Louis says. His hands are still cupping Niall's face, his thumb lightly stroking Niall's cheek. “For everything, I guess. I'm sorry I keep doubting you. It's my defense mechanism or some shit. I'll try to do better, promise.”

The smile growing on Louis’ face is contagious, so Niall can't really stop his own when he says, “That's fair. Although I think I can stand a bit of doubting if that's the apology I'm gonna get.”

Louis rolls his eyes and his hands eventually disappear from Niall's cheeks, but he's far from being annoyed.

“Actually—” Louis starts. Scratching at his neck, he looks at Niall a bit unsure. “You could come by tonight, it you want? If you don't mind some germs flying around and a more-clingy-than-usual kid, I mean. We could… we could still spend some time together, I know it's not the same as a date, but—”

“That would be perfect,” Niall interrupts. “Of course I'll come.”

“I'm sure Freddie's gonna be more happy to see you than a Puffskein,” Louis says with a soft smile.

And now, Niall really doesn't feel like he's going to lose anyone anymore. Quite the opposite.


End file.
